Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.15.1 (ACE)
 18,300 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Procollagen III aminopeptide (P-III-P), a peptide released during the conversion of type III procollagen to type III collagen, is considered a potential marker of fibroblast activity in a variety of pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases. The aim of the present article was to investigate the levels of P-III-P in serum samples (sP-III-P) from a large number of sarcoid patients, in particular looking at its relationship with other markers of disease activity and its presumed role as a marker of pulmonary fibrosis. sP-III-P has been radioimmunoassayed in an overall series of 57 patients and the levels were higher (19.18 +/- 9.17 ng/ml) than in 25 age- and sex-matched controls (11.32 +/- 2.15 ng/ml; p less than 0.001). The elevation was neither sex-related nor related to obvious liver sarcoid localization. Although sP-III-P levels were slightly higher in patients with stage II, there was no significant difference in patients with stage I or III. We found a positive relationship with serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (S-ACE) levels (p less than 0.04), but not with other markers of disease activity (67Ga uptake, bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] lymphocyte percent, vital capacity, and lung diffusing capacity). The relationship with S-ACE was confirmed in a longitudinal follow-up study, where sP-III-P strictly paralleled the S-ACE behavior. Finally, the initial sP-III-P levels did not predict cases either with disease relapse or resistance to corticosteroid treatment. We conclude that, in our study, sP-III-P levels failed to characterize sarcoid patients with radiologic fibrotic pattern (stage III), and, in addition, were unable to predict which patients would have a poor prognosis. Rather, they reflect a metabolic activity of sarcoid granuloma cells. Thus, the usefulness of sP-III-P in the treatment of patients with sarcoid may be considered similar to that of S-ACE.
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PMID:Elevated serum procollagen III aminopeptide levels in sarcoidosis. 217 97

No single test is available to reliably assess the activity or prognosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis. In this study, we have evaluated two procollagen markers, aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP) and carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and compared them to other disease markers of pulmonary sarcoidosis, such as serum level of angiotensin converting enzyme (S-ACE) or serum interleukin-2 receptor (S-IL-2R). Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in 40 sarcoidosis patients without (stages 0-I) and 20 patients with lung parenchymal involvement (stages II-III), as well as in 17 controls. Serum (S)- and BALF-PIIINP and PICP, S-ACE, S-IL-2R, BALF-albumin, BALF-lymphocytes and mast cells were determined in these patients. BALF-PIIINP was clearly and S-PIIINP slightly elevated in sarcoidosis compared to the controls. Similarly BALF-PICP, but not S-PICP, was significantly higher in sarcoidosis. BALF-PIIINP, but not BALF-PICP correlated with S-ACE and S-IL-2R levels. Patients with lung parenchymal disease had higher S-ACE and BALF-PIIINP, but neither S-IL-2R, S-PIIINP nor S- or BALF-PICP were elevated. S-PIIINP and S-IL-2R but not S-ACE were higher in symptomatic than nonsymptomatic patients. Symptomatic patients with parenchymal disease had elevated BALF-PIIINP whereas in the symptomatic nonparenchymal group S-PIIINP was elevated. In conclusion, this is the first study to evaluate carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen in sarcoidosis and showed elevated levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In contrast to the levels of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen, levels of carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen did not correlate with serum level of angiotensin converting enzyme and serum interleukin-2 receptor levels, suggesting that carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen may be less suitable disease marker in sarcoidosis than aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen. However, the role of carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen as an indicator of fibrogenesis must be further studied.
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PMID:Propeptide levels of type III and type I procollagen in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. 949 51